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Climate Change

ECA financing can have both a positive and negative impact on the global climate, but in reality ECAs have overwhelmingly financed fossil fuel industry projects which do more harm than good.

Export credit financing could equally provide support for appropriate sustainable and affordable renewable energy, or subsidize continued expansion of the dirty fossil fuel industry.

The dangers of climate change are well documented internationally. Efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the most polluting industries include G20 commitments to curb fossil fuel subsidies and measures on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

ECAs are one of the largest sources of public financing for fossil fuel projects worldwide, providing billions more for dirty energy than for renewable energy. In so doing, ECAs undercut international efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions including those mentioned above.

In 2012 a larger number of major ECAs also agreed to assess, monitor and report on the greenhouse gas emissions of projects they have finances, and to promote coherence between ECA policies and their respective government’s international climate change commitments. These agreements are called the ‘Common Approaches’.

For most of the ECAs involved, the common approaches represent the first time that concerns over climate change have been incorporated into assessments over financing fossil fuel projects. However, the approaches do not appear to include any commitment to an overall decrease in financing for fossil fuels.

Dodgy deals relating to climate change and ECAs

Unfortunately, most ECAs are notoriously opaque and do not publicly disclose aggregate data on the projects receiving preferential terms for “clean energy” and projects that are subjected to new greenhouse gas assessment requirements.

The ECA with the most transparent data is the U.S. Ex-Im Bank, which is one of the largest sources of public financing of fossil fuel projects worldwide. In 2011 Ex-Im Bank provided $4.9 billion for fossil fuel projects, which compares with $7.2 billion in FY 2011 by the entire World Bank Group [link to Oil Change report]. In contrast, Ex-Im Bank renewable energy financing in the same year was $721 million, which is up from a base of near zero five years prior. [link to chart]

The China Export-Import Bank (EXIM) is also believed to be a major financier of both fossil fuel and renewable energy projects, but this is difficult to verify as EXIM does not publicly disclose its financing. China is also a major financier of renewable energy projects and in 2011 became embroiled in a trade dispute with the U.S. over alleged unfair subsidies to renewable energy. [link to media story and to Jigar’s group]

What is ECA Watch doing?

ECA-Watch believes that ECA financing for fossil fuel harms the global climate, negatively impacts the local environment and communities and fosters corruption and, as such, is a pernicious subsidy that should be ended. At the same time, ECA-Watch supports ECA financing for appropriate renewable energy projects that enjoy community support and do not result in odious debt for developing countries.